A desk is a piece of furniture designed for reading or writing. Many desks of all periods have had a sloping top to support reading or writing material. In Byzantine times a combination desk and lectern was used that consisted of a flat-topped cupboard from which rose a lectern on a stand. An early desk, used in the Middle Ages, was called a writing box. It stood on a table and, because it could be moved easily, it was sometimes taken on journeys. Some writing boxes were fitted with drawers and letter holes. Most lids were hinged either at the front or back, those hinged at the front often supported in a horizontal position by slides that could be pulled out of the framework, by hinged stays fixed inside the lid, or by a combination of both.
A great variety of desks were made in the 18th century, particularly in France, where the habit of writing little notes became something of a social mania. Many desks contained ingenious mechanical devices. In the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, for example, there is a flat desk with a top that folds forward while a tier of drawers rises at the back. Two similar types, in use in mid-18th century, are the cylinder top and the roll top desks. The cylinder top was a rigid, quater-circle shutter covering the interior. The top could be slid back into the body of the desk while, at the same time, a writing surface might drawn forward. The roll top desk had a similar curved section, but it was made from strips of wood glued horizontally to a sheet of veneer. When the desk was opened, the strips were wrapped around a cylinder in the back. In England the kneehole desk was developed in the early 18th century. Its top was supported by two banks of cupboards, or drawers, separated by a space for the legs of the person seated at the desk. Larger versions, known as library tables, or sometimes, partners' desks, were created for two people, who sat facing each other.
In the modern office environment, there has become the need for incorporating the proper use of a phone into the desk environment. In achieving maximum efficiency in the office, it is often times necessary for the phone to be separated from the hands of the person at the desk. Two prior patents have discussed the use of a desk that incorporates a phone. U.S. Pat. No. 2,007,858, issued to R. L. Hartson disclosed an enclosure that normally retains a telephone in an inoperative position. When the access door is opened, however, the telephone receiver may be positioned in a stand so that the person using the telephone may have both hands free for other operations. U.S. Pat. No. 2,068,517, issued to Sibbert, discloses a desk that employs a rail and roller arrangement so that the top telephone headseat may be drawn toward a person sitting at the desk in an expeditious manner.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable mini-desk that allows convenient access to a telephone receiver while maintaining a person's ability to write with both hands.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable mini-desk that is convenient and maximizes ergonomic efficiency.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable mini-desk that minimizes back strain.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a portable mini-desk that is adaptable for use in conjunction with computer equipment and other modern office furnishings.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.